Thunder
by BonneyQ
Summary: In the Land of Tartarus where the Shadows lie. One Book to rule them all, One Book to find them [Gruvia Lord of the Rings!AU]


**AN: **As anyone, who follows me either here or on Tumblr, knows... I'm a big dork. A bit of a geek and a nerd and I'm always using our babies Gray and Juvia in some very weird Alternative Universes _(There was the one that was almost from Doctor Who, Pacific Rim, Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games)_. So it's probably no surprise that I wrote a _Lord of the Rings!AU_ (after an Anon sent me an ask about it). Yes, I went there and I regret nothing.

**Life is too short to not have a Gruvia Lord of the Rings!AU**. I take full responsibility for this.

Lord of the Rings belongs to Master Tolkien, that wonderful man.

**#**

**Thunder**

**#**

_"Three Books for the Elven-Kings under the sky,_

_Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone_

_Nine for the Mortal Men doomed to die_

_One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne_

_In the Land of Tartarus where the Shadows Iie._

_One Book to rule them all, One Book to find them._

_One Book to bring them all and in the darkness bind them_

_In the Land of Tartarus_

_Where the Shadows lie"_

**#**

The first time she saw him, he couldn't be more than five years old, accompanying his father to a meeting in Magnolia – _'You are never too young to start to learn about how to be a King'_, his father had said – while she went as a guard of her Uncle, Lord Jose of Oaklake.

As an elf of the woods, Juvia had lived long enough to have seen all types of beings that there were to see. But there was something very singular about a frightened human child. The elven children were few and scarce compared to the humans' and they were different, more collected and didn't do a third of a havoc human wee ones did.

So, when the little Prince of Fiore went missing at the Castle during the meeting, everyone was afraid of foul play, after all, King Silver had lost his wife a little over a year and if he'd lost his son as well, he wouldn't have nothing to lose and war could break.

Receiving orders to search for the boy from her Uncle, she and the elves over her command started to look for the Prince. With a raging storm outside the Castle's walls, they were certain that if the boy decided to hide, he wouldn't have gone too far.

Juvia decided to go to the less visited part of the castle, the one with objects of old wars and with plenty of hiding places for children.

It didn't take long for her to hear a muffled sniffle from underneath the table that contained the pieces of the shield from the First King – an artifact that was important even to her own people.

Juvia kneeled in front of the table and raised the cloth that covered it, finding the little boy: with his best linen clothes and wooden sword tossed by his side. His hair and eyes were black, much like his father's. And he looked terrified.

"Hello." Juvia said to the boy, who looked at her in confusion. "Everyone is looking for you, little one."

"I'm not 'little one'." The child mumbled and then raised his chin in an adorable way, defying the elf woman. "I am Gray, son of Silver and future King of Fiore."

Amused, Juvia bowed her head in respect. "Little Gray-sama, then. I am Juvia from Oaklake." She waited for him to come out, but when it didn't happen, she sat in front of the table, still holding the cloth so she could be able to see him. "Why are you here? Your father is worried about you."

"I was exploring." The boy answered and then jumped, startled, when there was a thunder echoing outside; Juvia understood then why he was under the table and why he failed to return from his little adventure: he was afraid of the rain raging outside.

"I see." She offered her hand to him. "Come on, little prince. Juvia's here with you. The rain won't harm you."

"How do you know?" The boy looked at her with suspicion.

"Because Juvia was born under the Rain Star." She explained. "Come and I'll show you that there's nothing to be afraid of."

The boy, probably trying to be brave, took her hand and grabbed his wooden sword before coming out of under the table and once he did, he held the elf woman's hand in a tight grip.

They walked to a window and Juvia opened it, but since the Prince was too short to look over it yet, he climbed to a nearby chair, his grip on her hand tightening even more with the sight of the heavy rain.

"Don't be afraid." She told him. "Take a deep breath." Gray did as he was told. "This is the smell of life."

"This is the smell of rain. It always smells like this." The boy frowned.

"Yes. But this is also the smell of life." She explained with patience. "Without rain, the grass wouldn't grow and the animals wouldn't eat it. There would be no ponds, no rivers, no lakes, no seas. There wouldn't be life." She said and the boy looked pensive for a moment. "So, there's nothing to be afraid." And as of cue, a thunder echoed, making the boy gasp and jump to her arms, hiding his face. Awkwardly, the elf patted the Prince's back. "There, there."

"I don't like thunder."

She thought about it for a moment before pushing him away. "If rain is life, you should think of thunder as the troubles you get. You get afraid of it because you haven't faced it yet. Once you do, you'll see that, like in life, it is just something loud to scare us but if we don't be afraid, it's just noise and it stops scaring you. Come on, look outside with Juvia."

The boy bravely released the elf and stared outside the window. "Now, wait." Juvia whispered to him. "In a second you'll hear it. Don't hide. It's just noise, Little Prince."

When the next thunder echoed, the boy got startled and made to hide again, but stopped midway and looked outside the window once more and Juvia smiled proudly at him. "Very good, Little Gray-sama."

"But I almost hid again."

"The important thing is that you didn't." Juvia told the small human, who smiled with pride. "You can try again later, but right now I'm afraid I must take you to your father. Besides, it's past time for Little Princes to be up."

"Alright." Gray nodded and wrapped his arms around her neck and Juvia felt awkward once again: the boy clearly wanted to be carried and after making sure none of her hidden daggers could hurt him, she carried the prince. The boy hid his face on the crook of her neck.

"Why are your ears pointy?" He asked in an innocent way.

She chuckled as she walked towards the great hall, where the boy's father probably were. "Because Juvia is an elf, Little Gray-sama. Our ears are like this."

The Prince hummed in agreement. "Why is your hair blue? I never saw blue hair before."

"My mother's hair was blue as well. I got it from her." The elf explained. "Just like your hair is black like your father's."

"My mom died." The boy said sadly.

"Mine too, little one." Juvia whispered. "But she'll always be with you. She's a star now; when you miss her, just look up and know that she's there, watching over you from afar."

The rest of the walk was silent until they reached the Great Hall and once King Silver saw his son safely tucked in the she-elf's arms he breathed in relief.

"Thank the gods." He said, walking towards Juvia and the boy. "Where did you find him?"

"He was exploring the Castle and got scared by the thunder. But once he understood it was just noise, he wasn't frightened anymore." She explained, handing the child to his father – only to notice that the boy had dozed off. "You have a very brave son, Lord Silver. He'll be a great King someday."

The King looked adoringly to the sleeping child. "I know." The man stared at the elf, then and Juvia noticed that the scar that crossed his forehead down to his left eye didn't make him any less attractive (for a human, at least). "Thank you, Lady..."

"Juvia, sir." She informed. "Juvia of Oaklake."

The next day, when the Human Committee left the castle, the little Prince had waved happily his good-bye to the elf, whom had to wave back with discretion so not to be seen by the others of her race.

She wouldn't ever imagined that their fate was so twined and that their encounter would change their lives forever.

**#**

Enter Oaklake had been a challenge from the start, after all, the Elves didn't take lightly outsiders coming without notice, especially if the outsiders were such a strange group, which consisted of a Dwarf, a Sorcerer and two Humans.

By nature, Elves were closed to outsiders, preferring much rather stay with their own people, but circumstances led them to Oaklake to search help of its Lord, Jose.

Their mission was one many thought it without hope, but if the Middle-Earth were to survive the attacks of the Dark Wizard Zeref, they needed to destroy the Last Book, the Book of the cruelest of the Demons, the Book of END – The _One Book _–, and to do so without waking the beast, they could only do it in the fire that never stopped brewing in the middle of Tartarus, the forgotten dark land.

Gray, son of Silver and future King of Fiore, entered the path to Oaklake with the certainty that he and his travel mates were being watched by the elves and his hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. Elves made him nervous: the few times his father brought him to meetings with the Old People, Gray could never read them, their reactions too well masked for him to understand their minds. Those sharp eyes and uncanny shine were not normal. He only remembered one elf being kind to him when he was no older than five and that was a distant memory.

Shaking his head to focus again, Gray thought how they needed the help, the information otherwise the Book couldn't be destroyed and if a meeting with some heartless elves could change that, he was up for it.

When the first arrow was shot to the ground in front of him, Gray lost no time in taking his sword to protect himself even though Makarov, the White, had told the travelers not to fight back, to show their willingness of stay in Oaklake in peace.

Turning around, swinging his sword, the blade stopped centimeters away of the neck of his assailant. It took him a moment to see the person, after all, there was an arrow pointed to his face, right between his eyes, and once he did, the Prince gulped.

It was an Elf, the pointy ears and the unnatural glow of the skin left little doubt, but what caught his attention was the fierceness in her clear blue eyes. Only once he had seen an elf show that much emotion before and it surprised him to see it again, but he was not to the point of getting distracted: she was the current enemy, after all.

They stayed pointing their weapons and staring at each other while other elves surrounded them and his companions dealt with them; Gray had a feeling that if he tried to help them, that arrow in front of his face would be fired.

The She-Elf asked something in elven and when none of the travelers answered, she changed to the common tongue.

"What brings you to Oaklake?" That voice... Gray thought. Why did he know it?

"A matter that we must only discuss with the Lord of Oaklake." Gray hissed and the elf narrowed her eyes.

"And why should Lord Jose listen to Humans and" she shifted her eyes briefly towards the pink haired man who traveled with Gray, before returning to the prince "and a _Dwarf_?" She said with venom in her words.

"Listen here, elf girl, if you must know-" The pink haired dwarf took a step towards the female, but three other elves put themselves in between the pair.

"We mean no harm." The Human Queen, Erza of Titania said, trying to sound collected and Gray thanked the gods she had chosen to come with them - she had her temperament at control at least. "But the information we got is of utter importance to Lord Jose. It is about the lives of all men in Middle-Earth."

"You mean human men. We are elves." An elf said and Gray, who had been staring at the female elf, noticed that she seemed annoyed with that answer.

"Yes, but our information matters to the lives of elves as well." Lucy, a young Sorcerer apprentice told them, trying her best not to show how afraid she actually was.

The she-elf lowered her bow in a graceful movement and took a step back, staring at the group and Gray also lowered his sword and he could finally take a look at her. Long azure hair falling in waves on her back, a single thin plait on the side of her hair; and while the other elves' clothes were in a darker shade of green (to blend in with the forest), hers was lighter. She held a magnificent bow, carved with some figures Gray couldn't identify and her quiver was thicker than the others', he noticed, and with much more arrows. And, just like any other elf, she was beautiful with her heart shaped lips, high cheekbones and sharp eyes. But there was something about her that unsettled Gray. Where had he seen her?

"Stand down." The she-elf said.

"But Lady Juvia-" One of them protested but she shut him up with a hard stare and with a few elven words; the elf retreated in defeat, most lowering their weapons, but still ready to attack at any sign of trouble. "As you command, Milady."

_'Juvia?' _Gray thought, trying to remember where he heard the name before and why he had a warmth spreading through him.

The elf woman, Juvia, turned to the newcomers with a much calmer expression. "Surrender your weapons as a show of faith and we will take you to Lord Jose."

"We understand." Erza nodded and was the first to give her sword to the elf next to her and then a hidden dagger, while Lucy put down her bag, Gray being the next to hand his sword to the elf who had questioned Juvia, and then the two daggers he had inside each boot. Natsu, the stubborn dwarf he was, was the last one to throw his heavy axe on the floor, but held the Book – which was covered in a rough cloth - in his hands.

Juvia stared at the item and raised an eyebrow towards the red haired woman - who seemed to be the leader – and Erza answered while asking for the book to the dwarf. "This is what we need to talk to him about." Gray was surprised with Erza showing the Book so easily to the Elf, but he trusted the woman's intuition.

The elf took a step towards the group and Gray closed in, just in case: the Book was known of driving people into madness and he noticed that Juvia smelled like fresh rain, the smell of life, but shook the thought out of his mind. It was not the time.

When the elf saw what it was, once she recognized the letters and what they meant, she took a step back with a startling gasp.

"Is that…?" She asked, looking directly at Erza's eyes.

"Yes."

And for a few seconds, they held each other's gaze, having a silent conversation and everyone could sense the tension in the air.

Hardening her face, she turned to the elves and yelled orders at them, and they obeyed without batting an eye. She, then, turned to the visitors. "Come with me, travelers. We have matters to discuss."

**#**

Oaklake was an impressive town, carved inside the gigantic oak trees of the forest and even though Gray thought it was amazing craftwork and indeed very organized, it was rather boring compared to the mess that was his kingdom. Well, a mess in a good way, at least. Elves were so put together that it bothered him. Back in Fiore, there were loud markets, bars and people talking loudly.

The Prince couldn't deny its beauty, though: the big oak trees, the colorful flowers along the path they took and the way its inhabitants walked peacefully and the stream that cut through the town, leading to a big lake not too far away.

"This place is so quiet I can hear Lucy think." Natsu grumbled and Lucy slapped the back of the dwarf's head and Gray had to hide a smile. It was obvious that both of them, even with the world facing its end, that they shared more than friendship.

Natsu was actually tall for a dwarf, many thought he was the tallest – almost as tall as the Prince himself – and Gray supposed he wasn't the ugliest either with his weird pink hair and dark green eyes and his preferred weapon was his heavy axe. Lucy, on the other hand, was raised to be a lady until she got interest in sorcery, to which she was being trained by Polyuska, the Purple. She was a beautiful woman with golden hair and pretty brown eyes. Gray could remember a time when she was promised to marry him as a deal between their fathers (Silver had assured his son that it would've been entirely up to him if it ever came to that) and even though she was one of the prettiest women he's ever knew, he just couldn't see himself married to her.

Erza, the Queen of Titania, was also a beauty with her exotic red hair and brown eyes. Her Consort, Jellal, was a Sorcerer who was currently traveling to the opposite direction of the world, trying to destroy Zeref's armies from within.

Gray, however, considered himself rather normal with his black messy hair and narrow eyes; and walking around those elves, made him feel even more plain than usual.

When they finally arrived at the Lord's chambers, it was as ample and magnificent as everything else. Very well lighted and with an obvious touch of nature everywhere. Right up in a corner, there was a man sitting on a wooden throne, his long jet dark back hair the first thing noticeable about him.

"Lord Jose." Juvia bowed to the man and the others (except Natsu), did the same in respect and the she-elf went to stay by the man's side. "Pardon the interruption, my Lord, but this travelers come with concerning news."

The male elf looked almost bored as he shifted his gaze from a scroll he was reading and Gray felt cold down his spine. The elf's eyes were just as dark as his long hair, and it was almost the same to look inside a dark well with its deepness. His shin was sharp, his moustache unusual for an elf and he had a pointy nose.

"Calm down, my dear." The man's melodic voice echoed through the hall and made the hair of the back of Gray's hair raise in warning. "Who are these travelers?"

"I am the Queen of Titania, Erza, and these are my companions? Lucy from Magnolia, Natsu from the Southern Mountains and Gray, son of Silver and future King of Fiore." The red haired woman presented and the only reaction they received from the Lord was a simple raise of an eyebrow while the blue haired elf snapped her head into Gray's direction as soon as she heard his name and he wondered why she was looking at him so intensely.

"Quite an interesting group you got there, Lady Erza. A Queen, a King, a Dwarf and a Human girl." Jose said slowly. "Call me intrigued of what brought such group together."

"Uncle." The She-Elf, Juvia, stepped closer to the other elf and whispered. "They have it, Uncle. The Last Book."

The Lord Elf looked surprised for a brief moment while staring at his niece (Gray couldn't see the family resemblance, really, even though they were both elves, Jose had a much darker and heavier aura than the younger elf and if Jose was really her uncle, Juvia had taken all the beauty of the family to herself).

"Do they now?" Jose slowly got up from his throne, his grey robes hustling as he walked towards the group, the blue haired elf following close. "And how did you acquired it? Surely the Book of END didn't just fall down on your hands." The chill that went down Gray's spine apparently went down Lucy's too because the blonde immediately put herself between Gray and Natsu, but much closer to the dwarf.

"It's a long story, sire." Erza answered with calm and being cryptic. "One that we would like to share with you but Makarov told us you'd give us shelter and information about how to destroy the Book."

"Makarov, huh?" Jose circled the group like a tiger watching its prey and by instinct Gray's hand went to reach for the hilt of his sword, and cursed when he felt it gone. Looking up, he saw that the she-elf, Juvia, was staring at his movements but Jose's words caught his attention a moment later. "He told you to come here for my aid. I haven't seen him in years; decades, even." The elf stopped in front of the group. "Of course you'll have my hospitality and my help." He bowed his head slightly. "But I would like to see the Book first."

Everyone stayed in silence before Erza stepped in and took the covered book from Natsu, the dwarf, and stepped closer to the Lord.

"Oh. Yes, this is the One Book." Jose said with almost reverence in his tone and Gray narrowed his eyes, as did the elf's niece. Once Erza covered it once again, it seemed like focus returned to his mind and the elf's posture became all high and mighty once again. "Juvia, can you show these brave travelers to their chambers? They need to rest. We'll talk more over dinner tonight."

"Yes, uncle." The female elf said and bowed to the man, before turn again to the small group. "If you could follow me."

**#**

She couldn't believe her eyes. This couldn't be that Gray. Not her little Gray-sama. Surely it hadn't been that long ever since she went to the reign of men, had it? Years as an elf passed like a blink of an eye but for the little boy she held in her arms and was afraid of the rain to be that grown up, a long time had to be passed. Twenty years, perhaps.

Now, his hair was longer and even darker, he had a scar above his right eye. His features resembled a lot King Silver's, aside from the nose, and there was no way she could carry him now, not when he became taller than her. Long gone were the fine linens of a young boy and the wooden sword he carried; they were replaced by leather clothes and a beautiful and very well made sword.

On purpose, she chose him to be the last she'd shown the quarters to, wanting to see if he would remembered her.

"This is your room during your stay here, Little One." She said, opening the door of the chamber.

"I'm not 'little one'. I am Gray, son of-" he stopped on his tracks once he appeared to remember saying something similar a long time ago. He turned to her with his eyes wide in realization. "You... You are..."

"Yes, Little Gray-sama." The blue haired woman bowed her head lightly.

He blinked a few times before gathering his wits. "I'm not a little boy afraid of thunder anymore."

"Juvia can see that. Maybe you can be just Gray-sama now." She said kindly. "Juvia didn't know if you'd remember her." Gray just stared at the elf and she didn't know what was going inside his head. "You favor your father a lot. If it weren't for his scar, you could've been mistaken by him easily by my people, who loses track of time. How is King Silver?"

Gray's jaw tightened. "Cursed."

"How come?" The blunette frowned in concern; the little time she spent with the King years before were not forgot by her, how fair he was with the negotiations to all beings in Middle-Earth and it concerned her that he was under a curse.

"Father is possessed by reminisces of one the of Zeref's Demons and one of his Necromancers, Keith." Gray told her. "Two years ago we found the last page of the Book of Deliora, one of the Books the Dark One gave to the Mortal Men, and since then, he lost himself, and slowly the little piece of the Demon grew inside of him and Keith just made it worse each day." He cleared his throat. "Eight months ago, he banned me when I tried to get a message to Makarov about what I thought was happening to him. He said I was trying to take his throne, that I am a traitor." Juvia gasped. "He stripped me over my titles and I am no longer the Prince of Fiore."

"The man Juvia remembers would never do that!" The blue haired elf couldn't believe his words.

"Neither the man _I_ remember." Gray's jaw tightened.

"Juvia will talk to some people here in Oaklake, see what she can come up with." The elf touched his forearm softly. "There must be a way."

"Thank you." Gray took a step away from her. "But the main focus here is to destroy the Last Book, though. I'll deal with my father later."

"Of course." Juvia also took a step back, knowing how inappropriate the whole thing was. "Get some rest, Gray-sama. Uncle will expect to see you at dinner."

**#**

"I don't eat grass." Natsu complained when he was offered a vegetarian meal and Lucy had to elbow his ribs. "Ow. Stop it, Lucy! I want _real food_."

"Master Dwarf," Jose answered with uncanny calm. "Our people are vegetarians by nature."

"Your nature suck." Natsu said under his breath and Erza kicked him under the table.

"We thank your hospitality, Lord Jose." The Queen said. "And whatever information you might supply us with."

"Once you left my presence earlier, I asked one of my people to start researching. But, as one of the Elven-kings who received a Book long time ago, I must tell you, destroying the END will not be easy."

"We know. Only in Tartarus it will be possible." Erza answered. "Only the fire of Tartarus. The other Books were destroyed outside, but END..."

"Yes. That Book is The One, you can't destroy it easily" The elf nodded. "But it is a difficult path there. And even here in Oaklake we heard the news about Zeref's army of orcs."

"Is that why we are sending our people over the sea, Uncle?" Juvia said, entering the room and, raised as a gentleman, Gray got up from his chair when the female elf appeared in the dining room. She was wearing a dark blue dress that complimented her fair skin, light blue hair and eyes; it was very different from her earlier attire. Gray also noticed that she carried a scroll and she gracefully walked until she was next her uncle to sit on the empty space reserved for her. "Sorry Juvia is late." The elf sat down and only then, Gray sat again as well – people could say anything about him, but first he was a gentleman. "She was retrieving this." She showed them the scroll. "It shows the ways into Tartarus."

Everyone except Jose gasped with the news; that was exactly the type of information they were after.

"Really?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yes." The elf nodded. "Later on we can set a route there. It's an old map, but some of the ways in might still be there."

"And I was thinking..." Jose said calmly. "Someone of my people should go with you."

The newcomers froze in place, after all they had been through hell to keep the Book safe and many already tried to take it away from them.

"Lord Jose, we appreciate the help, but..."

"It would be me." Juvia said and her uncle stared at her by the corner of his eyes. Gray relaxed slightly, knowing it would be her to join them, but the others didn't. "A cousin of mine and myself and that's it. Your group seems very capable to have come so far, but you're going to need aid during the way and we should go to Northleaf. They don't take in non-elven lightly, although their queen is as amicable as they come. You could use our help. We are as interested in destroying the Book as you are. This is also our home, even if our ancestors came from Beyond The Sea."

"Yes." Jose said slowly. "Makarov sent you here for our help and we're giving it to you. Juvia and Gajeel are my best fighters."

"We will need to talk about this." Erza said, diplomatically and Natsu snorted.

"Two elves with us. Why don't you just shoot me with an arrow already to spare me the pain I'll suffer."

**#**

They left Oaklake three days later as a group of six instead of four.

When Juvia introduced the other elf who would journey with them, the four were quite surprised. They expected some sort of feminine beautiful man, with a slinky body and with light braided hair.

Instead, they were greeted with the scariest elf they ever saw: long messy dark hair, eyes red as blood, he was much more muscular than any other elf there (even more than Gray and Natsu) and his features were harder than regular elves – even though he had the same glow the others did and the same pointy ears, for an elf, he was actually the ugliest of them all, especially with the many piercings on his face.

"I thought she said we would take another elf, not an orc." Natsu said with fake confusion when Gajeel was presented and Gray couldn't help but to snort. Gajeel reacted and it took them a while to separate the fight that broke between the three males.

"What is the deal with Gajeel?" Gray asked a few days later when they were setting camp and Juvia was gathering wood and he was getting ready to go hunt some rabbits. "Why doesn't he look like a…" The Prince looked for a fitting word "regular elf?"

Juvia wasn't surprised by the question, as it was bound to happen. "Because he is not a regular elf." She sighed. "His mother, my aunt, was an elf. His father though, was..." The blunette hesitated. "His father was a dwarf."

Gray was surprised, to say the least: he knew how much dwarves and elves didn't like each other. "Really?"

"It's a sad love story." She smiled faintly. "My aunt died giving birth to him and some of the cruelest people said it was her price to pay for such dirtying of our lineage."

"What do you think?" Gray asked, stopping on his tracks as she took a couple of steps more and turned to stare at him.

"I think that she was lucky." Juvia shrugged and mention to turn to walk once again but stopped when he spoke.

"'_Lucky?' _She died."

"After she had loved – and been loved back – so intensely that defied their races. Juvia told you it was a 'sad love story', as sad as it were, it is a love story nonetheless." She turned around. "And isn't it what we all want in the end?"

**#**

Juvia wasn't supposed to be looking at them while the men bathed in the river on their way to Northleaf, but after two weeks of traveling and barely having the time to take a proper bath, they finally found a place to properly take off the dirty from their bodies before they met the Queen of Northleaf.

Gajeel and Natsu were also shirtless by the river, but Juvia's eyes seemed to be glued on Gray's shirtless form: the way his muscles contracted and relaxed, the interesting patterns of a few scars (she wondered where he got them, they seemed pretty brutal), the way he laughed at something Natsu said before nudging the dwarf away (whatever it was, even the always stoic Gajeel seemed to crack a smile) and she felt her heart beat faster.

Juvia never felt that way before and it wasn't right for her to do so, after all, she was much older. She had seen him as a child, for goodness' sake! But during their time, she caught herself day dreaming about how his arms would feel wrapped around her, lips on her neck and she would blush so furiously that the female elf would choose to stay a little behind to gain control of herself again.

What an elf she was: lusting after a human man. If the others knew, they would say that she took after her aunt and her whole bloodline had a weakness.

"You are drooling." Lucy said, sitting next to the elf.

"What?" The blunette was quick to raise her hand to her mouth. Was she really…?

"Sorry, it was just an expression." The blonde chuckled and Juvia stared warily at her. "I'm sorry, it is just obvious that you are staring that I couldn't help myself. Usually elves are stealthier than that."

Juvia could feel her cheeks burn once again and she hated the sensation, as it was new to her. She cleared her throat. "I am afraid I have no idea of what you are talking about."

"Alright." Lucy shrugged and moved her gaze towards the boys (because that's what they were at the moment, as they had had some friendly battle in the water; even in the middle of saving the world, boys will be boys) and after a few moments, the blunette asked with hesitance.

"How… obvious?"

"Obvious enough that everyone, but Natsu and Gray himself, noticed." The blonde said with honesty and Juvia could feel her blush spread.

"Oh, dear." The elf breathed. "Juvia has never been more embarrassed."

"Don't be." Lucy tried to calm the other woman down. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about; Gray is a gentle – when he wants – and handsome young prince; any girl would be interested."

"Juvia saw him as a _child_!" The elf whispered. "She took him into her arms and carried him to his father because he was afraid of thunder and… All these thoughts now… It's so very conflicting." She stopped. "Juvia always wanted to fall in love; _real _love like the ones from the old poems, but they don't say anything about being self-conscious all the time. They beautified the shortness of breath and faster beat of the heart greatly; all these sensations are too much."

"No matter how many poems you read or how many times you hear how it is like to be in love, you won't understand it until it happens to you." Lucy smiled kindly. "Trust me, I know." She glanced to where the boys were leaving the river. "It catches you by surprise and before you know, you are on a journey to save the world and the damn idiot doesn't see you as nothing more as just a friend."

Juvia tilted her head to the side, her long waved hair falling with grace over her shoulder. "Natsu-san is unaware of your feelings."

"Yes. Just as Gray is unaware of yours." Lucy nodded and they locked their eyes, seemingly to be having a mutual agreement.

"Males are…"

"Stupid." Lucy huffed.

"Juvia was about to say 'clueless', but yes. Stupid suits them well." The blunette agreed and Lucy laughed. Unable to stop herself, Juvia joined the blonde with a few giggles of her own, she had to cover her mouth to try to stop being loud.

It was nice to have a female friend. Back in Oaklake, all the female elves were either interested in training or singing or reading or their own family and Juvia never had the chance of actually have girl talk before and even though she felt very silly to be laughing like she was a little girl, it also felt amazing to be connecting to someone else so freely.

"What are you two laughing about?" Natsu asked, approaching them alongside with Gray and Gajeel and the women just laughed harder with his lost expression, after all, they weren't exactly the best friends in the world, but were acting like they were. "What?"

"It is a secret between women, Natsu." Lucy managed to say, controlling herself.

"Oh, if my father ever taught me something was that you don't want to mess with those." Gray said, taking a mocking step back away from the females.

"No, you don't." Lucy agreed and Juvia nodded, feeling herself smile. "Now go change so we can eat something." The blonde hushed them and the men agreed, but before he left Gray stared at Juvia for a moment before following the others.

**#**

Gray was getting tired of the orcs surrounding them and he could see that everyone else was too. Natsu was waving his axe, Erza her two swords, Juvia was shooting arrows and Gajeel (who had gave up on his bow), was currently using his sword and even Lucy was using her staff as a weapon alongside with some spells. They had been ambushed by orcs close to Northleaf and they were having a hard time defeating them.

Juvia's back touched his and even she breathed harder than before. "Having fun yet?"

"Just getting started." Gray panted after chop an orc's head off. "They are coming like flies." He looked over his shoulder and saw her shoot an arrow right into another orc's eyes. "How long can we hold them?"

"It's almost over." The she-elf said, taking another arrow from her quiver. "We will defeat them. I can feel my kin getting closer."

The Prince was about to say something else when, from his peripherical vision, he saw an orc holding a bow in their direction – more especifically in Juvia's direction – and he acted with pure instinct: he pushed her away, knocking her to the ground and receiving the arrow instead aime for her instead. Then another and another until Juvia finally shot an arrow through the orc's skull.

"_Gray!_" She called in desperation, forgetting the battle around them. "No, no, no... _Look at me_." The Prince tried his best to keep his eyes open, but the pain on his stomach and chest were too great. "Don't close your eyes."

"I'm.." He coughed. "Oh, damn. Dying like this..."

He was afraid. He was actually afraid of dying this time. He couldn't count how many times he almost died and he didn't fear it, welcoming death as an old friend, since he fufilled his life to the best he could, but that time... that time he was actually having regrets.

He had to destroy The Book of END. He had to rule his people. He had to save his father. Then, a pair of clear blue eyes flashed into his mind. Yes... Juvia, the elf who was older than his father, the woman who taught him about rain and life, who helped him get over his fear of thunder. Somehow, during those six weeks traveling, his feelings towards her had changed.

"You are not going to die." She said and Gray opened his eyes just to see the certainty and tears in hers. Juvia took the arrows out, making him grunt in pain. "Sorry, sorry." And he wanted to tell her that it was alright, but nothing besides a gasp came out. The she-elf, then, leaned down and touched her forehead with his. "_What grace has given me, let it past to him. Let him be spared. Save him."_ Juvia whispered and Gray could feel a warmth spread through him. "_What grace has given me, let it past to him. Let him be spared. Save him. Save him."_ Gray was losing conscience, the only thing in his mind was her warm breath tingling his mouth and her voice. He liked her voice, it made his stomach feel weird. "_Let him be spared. Save him._" She repeated and Gray barely registered that they were joined by others, all he could focus was that he wasn't in pain anymore and that Juvia's beautiful voice.

**#**

When he woke up, his eyes hurt with how much light there was and he had to blink a few times to get used to it and the first thing he noticed was that he was in a bed, which was strange: he had been sleeping on the floor for weeks.

The second thing he noticed was the blue hair of the person who was resting her head on the side of his bed. That hair only belonged to one person he knew.

"Juvia." Gray said with his voice hoarse and the elf snapped her head up in an instant.

"Oh, you are awake!" She said excitedly and with a great deal of relief, touching his forehead with her hand. "No fever."

"What-" He tried to say, but his throat was a little dry. "Where are we?"

"Northleaf." Juvia answered with a small smile. "They arrived right after you were..." She waved towards his chest.

Gray groaned in pain when he tried to sit down. "How long?"

"Four days." The elf helped the prince to sit and he nodded.

"The others?"

"Resting, but with no serious injuries."

Juvia got up and went to grab water on a nightstand across the room and Gray tried to remember what exactly happened. He remembered fighting orcs, pushing Juvia out of the way from the orc's arrows and then receiving them instead and then he remembered her talking, about what was most likely a spell.

"You saved me." Gray said.

The elf's body stiffened, he could see it even if she had her back to him, her braid just as well-made as usual. "You did the same."

The prince sighed and turned his face away from her, not wanting to talk about the subject. "We still need to destroy END."

"Yes." She nodded, finally turning around with a glass of water. Juvia helped him drink it and sat on the mattress, facing him. "We will go to Fiore in a few days, as soon as you are recovered."

"Fiore?" Gray almost tried to get up, but Juvia pushed him back down. "My father is still King, he will not aid us in any way! He's still under the influence of Deliora's Book, and there's Keith, the Necromancer who keeps him in control."

"We need them, Gray-sama." Juvia reached for his hand in an unusual display of affection. "Erza already informed Titania's army that we are close to destroy The Last Book. Natsu sent word to his kin back in the Southern Mountains and even the Elves are gathering to fight." She explained. "Fiore's army is the largest and... if we want to stand a chance against The Dark Wizard's army of orcs, we need Fiore, we need your father."

Gray closed his eyes and held the blunette's hand a little tighter; it has been a long time ever since he saw his father and their last words had been so hateful he feared the new encounter would be the same.

"I know." Gray whisper. "I've always knew we'd need him."

"Don't worry, little Gray-sama." The elf said with a small smile as he opened his eyes. "Juvia will be there with you. Lady Mavis says that this is the path we have to follow."

"Lady Mavis?" Gray asked.

"She is the Lady of Northleaf. You'll meet her later, she has been helping heal you." Juvia told him softly, caressing his hand with her thumb. "She says that you'll be fine, but Juvia was so scared you wouldn't." She whispered the last part.

"I won't die until we destroy END and I take Fiore back, don't worry." Gray answered.

"You almost died for me." The elf said with eyes watering. "Juvia is an elf, she'll live a hundred lifetimes, but none of it will be worth if you had died trying to save her. My life is not important, Gray-sama, Juvia is just another elf. You are a Prince, you will help your people get back to glory after defeating The Dark Wizard and Juvia..."

"Your life is as important as mine or anyone else's, Juvia." Gray said, angrily. "You are not just an elf, you are trying to destroy END like the rest of us. You are trying to save the world as we know it. You _are_ important."

Juvia brought his hand to her lips and kissed tenderly. "Thank you." She, then, got up in one swift motion, letting go of his hand. "Try to rest, Juvia will talk with Lady Mavis."

**#**

Three days later, they left Northleaf after having Lady Mavis' consent and blessings – Gray was impressed of how young she looked, even younger than Juvia in looks, while in age... only the gods knew. Natsu and Gajeel were in an absolutely awful mood when they started their journey once again, which confused Gray, after all, they had been friendly enemies since day one.

"What's with the sour faces?" The Prince asked.

Lucy giggled. "They discovered they are cousins."

"What?" Gray raised an eyebrow in question.

"Third cousins, thank you very much." Natsu muttered.

"We were talking about the Southern Mountains and Gajeel mentioned that his father was from there and before we know, they were talking lineages and they discovered that Gajeel's father, Metalicana, was second cousin to Natsu's father, Igneel!" Lucy said, still laughing and even Erza had a smirk on. "They despise each other and are cousins!"

Gray couldn't help but to laugh as well and so did Juvia, who was by his side. She had been doing that a lot, ever since they left and he found it strangely comforting and during the time they took to arrive in Fiore, she stayed that way.

Fiore was in a worst way than it had been when he left and it hurt him to see his beloved land fall into such a state: the land lost its green and the air seemed heavier once they reached Magolia Castle – the beautiful castle was now almost in ruins.

Gray was using a hood to conceal his identity, but he was certain a few of the guards recognized him, giving him a nod of approval before annoucing Queen Erza of Titania and her companions. They had taken all of their weapons, given to the guards and when they entered the great hall, a coolness spread inside their bones.

His father sat on his throne and looked so old, so frail and very unlike the man Gray grew up with. Long lost was the man who taught him how to swordfight, taught him how to ride a horse, how to be a good man. The Silver who sat on that throne was an empty shell and the man beside him – Keith, the Necromancer – worn a mask made of a skull on his face and was the reason his father was still under Deliora Book's influence.

"King Silver, it's an honor to see you again." Erza said carefully and for the first time, Juvia stepped away from him and went to stay by the Queen's side and Gray frowned in confusion; the plan was to let Erza alone do the talking.

"It's the Queen of Titania, my King." The Necromancer whispered to the frail King and Gray wanted to kill the man. "What does she want? She has no business here."

"What do you want?" Silver whispered and Gray's stomach turned with how weak his dad sounded. "You have no business here."

Erza eyes darted to Juvia and Gray frowned and then the elf began to talk. "King Silver, you most likely don't remember me, but I am Juvia of Oaklake." The blunette took a few steps closer to the throne as she kept talking. "We are in need of your assistance against the Dark Wizard." Keith was about to whisper something else to the king, but she stopped him. "Don't say another word, Necromancer."

"And who are you to tell me what to say, Elf?" Keith asked, Juvia, then, pulled a necklace she was wearing and the Necromancer gasped when he saw what it was: a small pendant which was glowing with the whitest of the lights. "What- No, this is..."

Gray tried to get to them, but Gajeel held him as strongly as he could and the Prince couldn't leave, just watch hopelessly.

"You have tried to sever the bond between Gray-sama and his father, but you cannot." She yelled and Keith took a step back, hitting the wall when she stepped towards him, still holding the pendant and then she started to chant some kind of spell in elven which made the Necromancer yell in pain. When she was over, Juvia was almost breathless and the man was a lump on the ground. "Zeref _will not _work within this walls again." She yelled and Keith let out a loud groan, and so did Silver and then there was a stillness, a lack of noise that was disturbing.

It was a rush, later: everyone tried to get to the King, who seemed to also have lost consciousness and while the loyal guards of Fiore took out the followers of Keith, Gray went to Juvia, who was on her knees, breathing hard and clearly losing her strength.

"What did you do?" He asked as soon as he knelt beside her.

"Juvia told you when you were little: water is life. This" she panted and showed him the pendant "is the Star Juvia was born under. Lady Mavis gave it to me when we were in Northleaf." The elf was too pale to Gray's liking, and when she pointed towards his father, Gray hesitated to leave her. "The King will be himself again soon. The Dark One's grasp on him was strong through Keith, but He didn't expect the Star of Life to free your Father from his grasp. It's too bright for his darkness."

"Are you alright?" The Prince asked, seeing her pale complexion.

"Juvia will be fine. It was the spell that took lot of her; all she needs is a good night's sleep now. Perhaps a good meal as well." She smiled.

Gray nodded and leaned towards her and for a moment she though the prince was about to kiss her, but instead, he touched his forehead with hers. "Thank you." He breathed.

She touched his cheek. "You were lost. Juvia just brought your home back to you."

**#**

The moment Silver woke up and recognized his son, Gray had cried. He didn't know how much it mattered to him that his father spoke his name in a wonder tone, as if he was the most precious thing in the world, until he heard it.

Silver had hugged his son with all his strength, which was not much as the spell Keith had put him under with Deliora's Book was still fading, and Gray had hugged him just as strong.

"I remember you." Silver said when he paid attention to the others in the room, his eyes falling on the blunette elf who was being held by a very... unusual elf. "You found Gray when he was a little boy and got frightened of the rain."

"Yes, my lord." Juvia bowed her head slightly.

"Thank you, dear girl, for bringing him back to me once more." Silver smiled and Juvia could finally see the King she once knew, returning.

**#**

Two days later it didn't seem that Silver had been under a spell at all, as he was keeping up to date of what happened while he was under the Necromancer's influence and also planning on gathering troops to march into the gates of Tartarus.

Gray had been by his father's side all the time he could, enjoying the fact that he was free and the prince had thanked Juvia a thousand times and whenever he wasn't with the King, he was with Juvia, waiting for her to recover her strength after such a spell.

One time, when Gray was rarely not by Silver nor Juvia's, the King walked to where the elf was seated, sharpening her arrows.

"Hello, dear."

"King Silver." Juvia made mention to get up, but Silver held a hand to make her stop.

"Don't get up on my account, Lady Juvia." Silver pulled a chair and sat by her side, and the elf seemed curious to why he was there. "I just had a talk with your cousin. Gajeel is... very unique."

"He is." Juvia smiled sadly. "We don't know how long he will live, though. Up until now he has had the longevity of my people, but as his father is a Dwarf, it can happen at any time and that would be really sad."

"Why is that?" The King was really curious.

"He has someone back in Oaklake. She's an elf, of course, and she stays buried in books and scrolls all day long while he was born to fight." Juvia clarified. "Somehow they found each other and they are the most unusual couple, but they are meant to be. Juvia hopes their story won't be as tragic as his parents'."

"What about your story with my son?" Silver asked kindly and when she blushed and looked away, he chuckled. "Only a blind man cannot see what is happening between you two."

"Juvia didn't mean to feel the way she does." The elf whispered, feeling guilty. "She met him as a child! This is..."

"Fate." Silver shrugged. "Dear girl, sometimes fate works in the most unusual ways, you see. I don't think he care that you are older than him, from another race and that you two met when he was a child. All he knows now is that you are the woman whom he has fallen in love with."

"You don't know that."

"Oh, but I do." The King said. "I've seen my son infatutate with some girls, I've seen him lust afer some of them as well, but I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you."

"And what way is that?"

Silver smiled kindly and took one of her hands between his. "The same way I looked to my Mika." He stopped for a moment, feeling her cold hands and he looked up to her in confusion and worry. "Your immortality... is it leaving you?"

"Yes." Juvia couldn't bring herself to lie.

"I've read about it in a poem, about an Elf's hands only become cold when they were losing their immortality..." Silver tried to warm them up by rubbing them. "Did you choose this?"

"It had already been chosen by my heart when Juvia met him the second time." Juvia removed her hands from the man's. "It's alright." She told him.

"You are giving up immortality for my son."

"No, I'm gaining life by staying by his side, no matter in what way." Juvia said kindly. "Juvia didn't know what was to live until he appeared, Juvia didn't see the colors, didn't understand the poems, didn't appreciate music and didn't know love until she met him. Immortality is only a gift when you doesn't know better. And Juvia knows better now."

Silver stared at her for a few moments, without knowing what to tell her and when he did, he reached both her hands and kissed them. "All a parent ever wants is to see their children loved, and you, my dear, love him as much as I do." His eyes were watering. "Thank you for that. I'll most likely not survive this war, so, I'm trusting him to you."

Juvia wanted to argue with him, tell him that he was going to make it, but the truth was that none of them knew if they were going to win, but she lowered her head slightly. "With pleasure, Lord Silver."

**#**

The day before they were about to go to Tartarus, Juvia was restless and Gray sensed it, because he followed her after dinner to a balcony, where the elf started to walk from one side to the other, which was unusual for anyone of her race, but the weight of the world was falling on their shoulders.

"Can we do it? Can we defeat Zeref and END?" She asked, still pacing.

Gray took a moment to analyze her before stepping in front of her, making her promptly stop. "Come on, it's my turn." Gray offered her his hand and she frowned in confusion. "You always say you are there for me, so, it's my turn: I'm here with you. We'll face whatever it comes together." He reached for her hand when she didn't offer his – she was too much in shock to do so. "We might win, we also may not. The important thing is that we won't hide."

That was _her _lecture, that was what she had told him when he was a little boy and he was afraid of storms. "Is this just a bit of thunder?" She asked, twining her hands with his as he took a step closer.

"Yes." Gray said with almost a whisper. "All of this: the war, END, Zeref are just noise, we'll get to the good part soon." His forehead touched hers and they closed their eyes with the contact. "Once the thunder is over, we'll be ready for this."

"This?" Juvia asked and Gray, boldly, touched his lips with hers in a very sweet kiss.

"This." The prince said and she nodded her agreement; she could barely wait for the 'thunder' to pass.

**#**

**AN: **I went there and I can't come back from it. (Just reminding you that romance with Tolkien is very smooth, so, I tried my best here).

01/26/2015 ~ **BonneyQ**


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